A History
of Baseball in OregonThe following is
a timeline covering major events in Oregon baseball history. Every player born
in Oregon that has played in MLB is listed here, as are key moments in
Portlands rich history of organized baseball. This page will constantly
be updated with new material, so check back often. If you have any historical
information that can be added to this page,
please
contact the Oregon Stadium Campaign.

1860s: Joe Buchtel, the man credited
for making the game popular in the region, changes roles from the elected
director of the Pioneers to captain and eventually player/manager of the team.
He was a pitcher and outfielder for the team when it won two State
Championships at the Oregon State Fair in the 1860s.

1866: The Pioneer Baseball Club of East
Portland (Portland Pioneers) are formed just sixteen years after the
founding of the city. Portlands first team plays its first games at a
vacant lot on Washington Street. Other parks were near Broadway and
Stark downtown, but eventually the team moved across the Willamette (hence the
name East). The Portlanders are victorious in their first game
pummeling the Clackamas Club (Oregon City) 77-46.

1868: In February the Pioneers and five other
clubs from the area (the Spartans of Portland, the Highland Baseball Club, the
Clackamas Club, the Occidentals from Vancouver) form a union named the
The Oregon and Washington and Idaho Territories Association of Base Ball
Players. Games are based on the rule system set down in 1863 by
the National Association of Base Ball Players in New York. The
rules were slightly modified for the northwestern version of the
game.

1871: Walter Edward Jiggs
Parrott is born July 14th in Portland. Walter played four seasons in
the National League with the Cubs (1892-95). He debuted on July 11, 1892. For a
full season, his career high batting average was .248 for a second division
Cubs team in 1894. He has the distinction of being the first
Oregon-born player to appear in the big leagues, playing in 315 games,
mostly as a second and third baseman. Jiggs passed away at the young age of 26
on April 16, 1898.

1873:
Charlie Babb is born on February 20, 1873 in Milwaukie. He debuts on
April 17, 1903. Babb played three consecutive seasons in the majors, all in New
York. In 1903 he played with the Giants and moved to the Dodgers in 1904 along
with pitcher John Cronin.

1874: Buchtel reorganized the
Pioneers and two seasons later they won the Centennial baseball
championship and medal playing against the Clackamas Club, Willamette
University, and the Occidentals of Vancouver (a team that mixed locals with
Fort Vancouver soldiers).

1883: Bill McGilvray is born in
Portland on April 29. He debuts on April 17, 1908. He only had two at-bats for
the Reds in 1908, failing to get a hit in either trip to the plate. He lived to
be 69 years old, passing away on May 23, 1952.

Happy Smith
is born in Coquille on July 14. He debuted on April 15, 1910. Happy
played for the 1910 Brooklyn Dodgers, batting .237 in 76 at-bats that season.
Smith died at the age of 77 on February 26, 1961.

1884: After 15 seasons with the Pioneers, Buchtel
organizes Portlands next great team: the Willamettes of East
Portland. The team features Buchtel, his son Fred, and the Parrot
family. Three members of the family would play in Major League Baseball
(Walter, Thomas, and Thomas Jr.). The Willamettes opened the 1884 season by
beating the Seattle Browns 1-0 and a team from San Francisco 5-3, proving that
the Rose City could beat the big boys also. A pitcher for Portland named Bill
Burke is the first local to ever play in the Majors, hurling for the 1887
pennant winning Detroit Wolverines. In 15 innings of work he yielded 21 hits
and 10 runs for a career ERA of 6.00.

Dick Egan is born
on June 24 in Portland. He debuted on September 15, 1908. Egan played in the
majors from 1908-16 with three teams (Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves)
and hit .249 for his career, stealing 167 bases. Egan passed away at the age of
63 on July 7, 1947.

1886:
Thomas William Tacky Tom Parrott is born in Portland on
April 10th. Tom debuted on June 18, 1893. He pitched mostly for second division
teams in the National Leagueincluding the Cubs, Reds and Cardinals--from
1893-96. His career high in wins (17) came for a Reds squad that finished in
tenth place with a 55-75 record in 1894. Tom also played 131 games in the
outfield, hitting .301 in 999 career at-bats. He died on New Years Day
1932 in Dundee.

Ed Mensor is born in Woodville on
November 7. The Midget as he was nicknamed due to his 5
6 frame, debuted on July 15, 1912. Mensor played in the majors for the
Pirates from 1912-14. He compiled a .221 career batting average in 224 at-bats.

1887: Curt Coleman
is born on February 18th in Salem. He debuted on April 13, 1912. Coleman played
in 12 games with the 1912 Yankees, hitting .243.

1888: Bert Hall is born in Portland
on October 15th. He debuted on August 21, 1911. Hall played one Major League
season with the 1911 Phillies. He went 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings
pitched. Hall lived to be 59, passing away on July 18th,
1948.

Hub Pernoll is born in Grants Pass on March 14th.
He debuted on April 25, 1910. Hub pitched for the 1910 and 1912 Detroit Tigers.
His career record was 4-3 with a 6.00 ERA.

1890: The successful Willamettes team changes
its name to Gladiators and becomes a founding member of the Pacific
Northwest League (the PNL), a league with teams in Seattle, Portland, Spokane
and Tacoma. The league consists of players from around the
nation.

Ed Wilkinson is born in Jacksonville on June
20th. He debuted on July 4, 1911. Wilkinson smacks three hits in thirteen
at-bats with the 1911 Yankees. He died at the young age of 27 on April 9,
1918.

Ken Williams is born in Grants Pass on June 28th.
He debuted on July 14, 1915. Williams played for 14 Major League seasons
(1915-1929) as an outfielder with Cincinnati, the St. Louis Browns and the
Boston Red Sox. He led the American League in home runs in 1922 with 39 as a
member of the Browns. That season he became the first 30-30 man, stealing 37
bases for St. Louis. Williams career high average of .357 was fifth-best
in the AL in 1923. He hit .319 with 196 homers during his distinguished career.
His career slugging percentage was an outstanding .530, amassing 558 extra base
hits and scoring 860 runs.

1891: The Gladiators win their first league
crown with 94 victories, a season during which the Gladiators play San
Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose of the California League. After the season
the Parrott brothers leave for the majors and within two seasons the Pacific
Northwest League (PNL) is altered beyond recognition.Tracy
Baker is born November 7 in Pendleton. He debuted on June 19, 1911.
Baker has the dubious distinction of playing in one game with the Boston Red
Sox in 1911. His only statistic listed is as a sacrifice hit. Baker died March
14, 1975 at the age of 83.

1892:
Del Baker is born May 3, 1892 in Sherwood. He
debuted on April 16, 1914. Baker played 22 years as a professional player, but
just three seasons in the Majors, playing three seasons with the Detroit Tigers
starting in 1914. Baker went on to coach, splitting his duties with Bucky
Harris and Mickey Cochrane (see 1942 for more on Cochrane). Soon thereafter he
replaced Cochrane as Detroits sole manager, guiding them up until the
1942 season. In 1940 he led the Tigers to the American League pennant but lost
to Cincinnati in the World Series in seven games. He passed away on September
11th 1972 at the age of 80.

Rudy Kallio is born in
Portland on December 14th. He debuted on April 25, 1918. Kallio pitched for
three seasons (1918-19, 1925) for two teams (Tigers Red Sox). Rudys
career record was 9-18 with a 4.17 ERA.

1893: Lyle (Al) Bigbee is born on
August 22nd in Sweet Home. He debuted on April 15, 1920. Lyle pitched in 1920
for the Philadelphia Athletics, for whom he was winless in three decisions.
Bigbee pitched for Pittsburgh the following season and allowed one run in eight
innings of work.

Howie Haworth is born in Newberg on
August 27th. He debuted on August 14, 1915. Haworth played in seven games with
the 1915 Indians, collecting one hit in his seven career
at-bats.

1894: Harvey
Suds Sutherland is born in Beaverton on February 20th. He
debuted on April 14, 1921. Suds played only one Major League season for the
1921 Detroit Tigers, going 6-2 with a 4.92 ERA.

1895: Carson Bigbee, brother of Lyle
Bigbee (since 1893) is born on March 31st in Waterloo. He debuted on August 25,
1916. Carson played for 11 seasons (1916-26) all with the Pirates. He batted a
respectable .287 during his career. He was a reserve outfielder with the 1925
World Champion Pirates. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the seven-game World
Series over the Washington Senators. As a winning player, he earns a share of
$5,332.72.

Herman Pillette is born in St. Paul on
December 26th. He debuted on July 30, 1917. Pillette played in the Majors for
four seasons with the 1917 Reds and the Detroit Tigers (1922-24). Herman had a
career season in 1922 when he went 19-12 with a 2.85 ERA. His career numbers
included a 34-32 record with a 3.45 ERA. Pilette passed away on April 30, 1960
at the age of 64.

1896: The
Portland Monograms are formed and are a huge success. Easily defeating
all of the Oregon teams, they go on to crush the Washington State Champion
Tacoma Four-Spots 10-1. The victory sets up a showdown with San Francisco, the
California League champions. Even though the Monograms lost players to the flu,
seasickness, and injury, they still managed to tie the California League
champions 12-12 in the first game before losing a heartbreaker in the second,
16-14. The attendance of both of the games was approximately
17,000.

1899: Denny
Williams is born in Portland on December 13th. He debuted on April 15,
1921. Williams played for four Major League seasons (1921, 1924-25, 1928) for
two teams (Boston and Cincinnati). Denny hit .259 in his career.

1900: Sylvester Syl
Johnson is born in Portland on December 31st. He debuted on April 24,
1922. Johnson pitched 19 seasons with four different teams (Tigers, Cardinals,
Reds, Phillies). Johnson played on the great St. Louis Cardinals teams early in
the Great Depression, playing in three World Series with the Cards (1928,
1930-31), winning one. Johnsons career record was 112-117 and his
lifetime ERA was 4.06.

Ossie Orwoll is born in Portland
on November 17. He debuted on April 13, 1928. Orwoll pitched for the 1928-29
and Philadelphia Athletics, his career record was 6-7 with a 4.63 ERA.

1901: The Portland
Webfooters, led by Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Tinker (of Tinker to Evers to
Chance fame) win the PNL (Pacific Northwest League) title. Tinker
would go on to the National League where he played on baseballs first
dynasty the 1904-12 Chicago Cubs, a team that averaged nearly 100 wins in those
nine seasons. Tinker led the leagues shortstops in fielding percentage
four times during that span, and later managed the Cubs in 1916 after two
seasons in the rebel Federal League. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the
Veterans Committee in 1946.

Ed Coleman is born on
December 1 in Canby. He debuted on April 15, 1932. A tall left-handed hitting
outfielder, Coleman played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1932-35. He hit
17 home runs for the St. Louis Browns in 1933 and hit .285 in 1,454 plate
appearances.

Wes Schulmerich is born in Hillsboro on
August 21. He debuted on May 1, 1931. The right-handed outfielder played in the
early Thirties with the Boston Braves, Philadelphia Philies and Cincinnati
Reds. Schulmerich finished 5th in the batting race in 1933 (a season divided
between the Braves and the Phillies) with a .318 average. Schulmerich hit .289
in 429 games.

1902:On December 10
Henry Harris, owner of the San Francisco club, announced that teams in Seattle
and Portland had merged with the California League clubs to form the Pacific
Coast League.

1903-04:Playing their
games at Vaughn Street Park, the Portland Browns struggle out of the gate in
the PCL finishing last in 1903 with a 79-136 record, and second to last in 1904
with a 95-108 record. The 136 losses is tied for most in one season in PCL
history.

Vaughn Street Park: Built in the spring of
1901, the parks was between Vaughn Street (first base,) Northwest 25th Avenue.
(third base) and NW 24th Street (right field). The parks dimensions were
331 to leftfield with a 20-foot wall, 368 to centerfield with (also with a
20-foot wall), and 315 to rightfield with a 30-foot wall. After the parks
1912 remodeling, Vaughn Street held 12,000 spectators.

The park was
located on a four block site owned by F.I. Fullers Portland
Railway Co. and was constructed with the assistance of rival trolley
company C.F. Swigeats City & Surburban Lines. They
united to build the park because they felt (correctly) that the ballpark would
help both of their companies.

When the park first opened the only stands
were behind home and very small in capacity. The original structure was torn
down during the building of the 440 track used during the National
Track and Field Games of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition (Worlds
Fair).

In 1912, the park was fully enclosed and expanded to
12,000 seats as bleachers were added in centerfield. The rightfield bleachers
extended to the first base area of the grandstand. A covered grandstand
extended from third base line all the way to the leftfield bleachers. Other
than a few minor changes the park stayed ostensibly the same until 1955. The
field was known for the black smoke clouds hanging over the park that
originated from the Electric Steel Foundry, just beyond the rightfield
fence.

Because the park was wooden it had the tendency to catch fire and
in 1947 the leftfield bleachesr burned. Because of the fire, the team began
talk of erecting a new steel and concrete park as city officials threatened to
either condemn the park or fine the Beavers. The park remained open for eight
more seasons before permanently closing in 1955. The park known as Vaughn
Street and Lucky Beavers Stadium was demolished in 1956. The Beavers moved to
Multnomah Stadium (later Civic Stadium and currently PGE Park), the home of
professional baseball in Portland since the mid-1950s.

1905: With the National Track and Field
Championships and the Lewis and Clark Exhibition being held in Portland, the
newly renamed Portland Giants played most of their games away from
Vaughn Street Park. The results are almost the same as the year before
as Portland finishes second to last again.

1906: The newly christened Portland Beavers
win their first PCL title with a 115-60 record. Walter McCredie, nephew of the
owner (Judge McCredie), managed the team to the title while hitting .309 in the
process. Other greats from that team were Michael Mitchell,
who paced the league in hitting with a .351 average and pitcher Benny Henderson
who set the Beavs record for winning percentage with a 29-10 record
(.744).

McCredie played in the Majors for one season as an
outfielder with the 1905 Brooklyn Superbas. Walt had 69 hits in 213 at-bats for
a .324 career average.

1907:
In what had otherwise been a dismal season, Bob Groom throw the first no-hitter
in Beavers history, a 1-0 affair in which he stifles the Oakland Oaks.
Groom went on to pitch for ten seasons in the Majors (1909-1918). His
best year came with the Senators in 1912 when he went 24-13 and finished in the
top ten of every major American League pitching category. Groom also pitched
for Cleveland and the St. Louis Terriers of the short-lived Federal League.
Grooms career record was 119-150 and he died in 1948 at the age of
63.

1908: Babe Danzig leads
the PCL in hitting with a .298 batting average. Danzig played six
Major League games for the 1909 Boston Red Sox and got two hits in thirteen
at-bats.

1909: Beavers
pitcher Alexander Carson throws a 1-0 no hitter in 10 innings vs the Los
Angeles Angels. Otis Johnson leads the PCL in home runs with 13.
Carson pitched in two games with the 1909 Chicago Cubs. He lived to be 80,
passing away in 1962.

1910:The Beavers win their second Pacific
Coast League title, achieving a remarkable record in the process; Beavers
pitchers threw a baseball record 88 consecutive shutout innings. The
Portland batters hit an anemic .218 as a team, but won anyway because of a
pitcher like Sylvanus Vean Gregg, who threw a no-hitter, three
one-hitters, and 43 complete games out of 51 starts. Greggs 14 shutouts
is a PCL record and his 368 strikeouts are a Beavers record. Gregg had a
stellar eight season (1911-1925) Major League career. In his rookie season with
the Cleveland Indians, Gregg led the American League in ERA with at 1.80 and
finished with a 23-7 record. Opposing hitters batted just .205 against him that
season. Gregg later pitched for the back-to-back World Champion Boston Red Sox
with staff-mate Babe Ruth. A career American League, Gregg pitched for the
Philadelphia As and Washington Senators as well. His career record was
92-63 with a 2.70 ERA.

1911:
Led by slick fielding shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh and league average and home
run leader Buddy Ryan (.333, 23) the Beavers captured their third PCL title.
Portland played the Sacramento Solons to a 1-1 tie in 24 innings. It is tied
for the longest game in PCL history; remarkably, pitcher Elmer Bob
Koestner went the distance. William Steen led the PCL in winning percentage by
going 30-15 (.667).

Peckinpaugh played 17 seasons in the Majors
between 1910 and 1927. In 1924, he won a World Series with Washington and
earned American League Most Valuable Player honors in 1925 for the
pennant-winning Washington Senators. The great-fielding shortstop hit .294 with
four homers and 64 RBI, playing the role of sparkplug for the Senators.
Peckinpaugh hit .259 for his career, collecting 1,875 hits and scoring 1,006
runs. Peckinpaugh also played for Cleveland, the New York Yankees, and the
Chicago White Sox. He later managed the Indians for eight seasons, guiding them
as high as 4th in 1932 with a 87-65 record.

Koestner pitched two
seasons (1910, 1914) in the Majors with a 5-10 record and a 3.18
ERA.

1912:Vaughn Street Park
is remodeled and the first known luxury boxes are installed.

Paul Gehrman is born in Marquam on May 3rd.
He debuted on September 15, 1937. Gehrman pitched nine and one third innings
for the 1937 Reds, allowing three runs and losing his only Major League
start.

Jack Wilson is born in Portland on April 12th.
Black Jack debuted on September 9, 1934. Wilson pitched for nine
seasons (1934-42) with the Philadelphia As, Boston Red Sox, Washington
and Detroit. During his career, Wilson posted a 68-72 record with a 4.59 ERA.
Wilson passed away at the age of 82 on April 19, 1995.

Elmer Lober leads the PCL in home runs with nine and
the Beavers win their fifth PCL title.

1916:Bill Bevens is born in Hubbard
on October 21st. He debuted on May 12, 1944. Bevens pitched for the Joe
DiMaggio-led Yankees from 1944-1947. His career record was 40-36 with a 3.08
ERA. Bevens won winning the World Series with New York to cap his final Major
League season.

1917: Beaver
Ken Williams of Grants Pass, Oregon leads the PCL in home runs with 24.

Bill Sayles is born in Portland on July 27th.
He debuted on July 17, 1939. Sayles played in parts of two seasons (1939, 1943)
with the Boston Red Sox, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, compiling a 1-3
record with a 5.61 ERA.

1918:
Due to World War I travel restrictions the Beavers did
not field a team for this season.

Vern Olsen
is born in Hillsboro on March 16th. He debuted on September 8, 1939. Olsen
played five Major League seasons (1939-42, 1946), all with the Chicago Cubs.
During a war-shortened career Vern posted a 30-26 record and a 3.40 ERA. Vern
passed away on July 13, 1989 at the age of 71.

John Leovich is born in Portland on May
5. He debuted on May 1, 1941. Leovich played in one game for the 1941
Philadelphia Athletics, smacking a double in one of his two Major League
at-bats.

Mike Budnick is born in Astoria on September
15th. He debuted on April 18, 1946. Budnick played for the postwar New York
Giants for both of his Major League seasons: 1946 and 1947. He retired with a
2-3 record and a 4.04 ERA. Budnick died on December 2, 1999 at the age of
80.

Hal Erickson is born on July 17th in Portland. He
debuted on April 14, 1953. Erickson pitched in 18 games with the 1953 Tigers
going 0-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 32.3 innings.

Red Sox great Johnny
Pesky is born on September 27th in Portland. He debuted on April 14,
1942. Pesky played for ten seasons (1942-54) primarily on the left side of the
infield, spending time during his career with Detroit and Washington in
addition to Boston. Remarkably he collected over 200 hits in each of his first
three seasons at Fenway. He made the All-Star team in 1946 hitting .335 for the
pennant-winning Red Sox. Pesky hit over .300 in six of his Major League seasons
and he finished with an outstanding .307 batting average.. He is still a
fixture in Red Sox lore: the rightfield foul pole carries the name Pesky
Pole and Johnny is still seen every season at Red Sox spring training in
Winter Haven, Florida.

1920:Larry Jansen is born in Verboort
on July 16th. He debuted on April 17, 1947. Jansen pitched for the New York
Giants from 1947-54 and the Reds for the 1956 season. He won 20 games in his
rookie season of 1947, going 21-5. In 1950 and 1951 he made the NL All-Star
teams, with records of 19-13 and 23-11, respectively. The right-hander
completed his career with a 122-89, 3.58 ERA and 17 career
shutouts.

Dick Whitman is born in Woodburn on November
9th. He debuted on April 16, 1946. Whitman played six Major League seasons
(1946-51) for Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Whitman hit .259 during his career
with two home runs. He appeared in the 1949 World Series with the Dodgers and
in the 1950 classic with the Phillies.

1921:Howie Fox is born in Coburg on
March 1st. He debuted on September 28, 1944. Starting in 1944, Fox pitched for
eight seasons with the Reds, moving on to Philadelphia in 1952 before making 38
appearances as a reliever for the 1953 Orioles. Foxs career ERA was 4.33
and he ended with a 43-72 record. Fox passed away at the age of 34 in 1955.

1924:James Poole leads the
PCL in home runs with 38. Emmett McCabb set a PCL record with 7 singles in a
game against the Salt Lake City Bees. Poole played three Major League
seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics starting in 1925. In his rookie season
he hit .298 with five home runs and 67 RBI.

Eddie Erautt
is born in Portland on September 26th. He debuted on April 16, 1947.
Erautt pitched for the Reds from 1947-53 and was traded to St. Louis during the
1953 season. He finished with a career record of 15-23 and a 4.86
ERA.

1925:Buddy
Peterson is born in Portland on April 23rd. He debuted on September
14, 1955. Peterson played for the 1955 White Sox and the 1957 Orioles. In his
two-year career he hit .237 in 38 at-bats.

1926:Elmer Smiths 46 HRs lead the PCL,
teammate William Bagwell lead the PCL with a .391 Avg.

Don Johnson is born in Portland on November
12th. Dan debuted on April 20, 1947. The journeyman right-hander pitched for
seven seasons with the Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Washington, Chicago White
Sox, Baltimore and San Francisco. His best season came in 1954 with the White
Sox as a jack-of-all-trades, going 8-7 with a 3.12 ERA a season, earning seven
saves as a reliever and hurling three shutouts as a starter. Johnsons
career ERA was 4.78 and his record was 27-38.

1927:Elmer Smith wins his second consecutive
PCL home run title, clobbering 40 long balls. Smith joined the Beavers
after a ten-season Major League career between 1914-25 with Cleveland,
Washington, the New York Yankees and Cincinnati. Smith spent the 1918 season in
Europe fighting in the Great War. Elmer played on the 1920 World Champion
Cleveland Indians, hitting a home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the
victory. Elmer lived to be 101, dying in 1984.

Jim McDonald
is born in Grants Pass on May 17th. He debuted on July 27, 1950.
Hot Rod pitched for nine seasons starting in 1950 for Boston, the
St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Baltimore and the Chicago White Sox. His
career record was 24-27 with a 4.27 ERA.

1928:Elma Jack Knight no-hits
Oakland in a 5-0 win for the Beavers. Knight pitched for the St. Louis
Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves during his four Major League
seasons (between 1922 and 1927). In an unremarkable career Knight had a career
ERA of 6.85 to go with a 10-18 record. Knight lived to the age of 81 passing
away in 1976.

Portland native and lifelong resident Syl Johnson
pitched in the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 1 of the 1928 World Series for
the St. Louis Cardinals (the Cardinals were swept by the Yankees). He became
the first Oregonian to appear in a World Series game. Johnson pitched
in two more World Series in 1930 World Series (another loss, this time to the
Philadelphia Athletics). In 1931 the Cardinals finally won the World Series,
making Johnson the first Oregonian to win a championship.

1930:Gordon Jones is born in Portland
on April 2nd. He debuted on August 6, 1954. Jones pitched for the Cardinals,
Giants, Orioles, Athletics, Houston Colt .45s. His rookie campaign was
his best going 4-4 with a 2.00 ERA.

1932:The Beavers win their sixth PCL crown.

Tom Parrott passes away at the age of 63 in
Dundee (see 1884).

1934:
Bobby Gene Smith is born in Hood River on May
28th. He debuted on April 16, 1957. Smith played seven seasons (1957-65) for
the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Cardinals, and Angels. Bobby Gene hit .234
during his career with 13 home runs.

Walter McCredie dies on
July 29, 1934 in Portland, OR. McCredie is considered the
founding father of the Portland Beavers having managed and played
with the team during its inception. He played one season in the Majors with the
Brooklyn Superbas in 56 games. He hit .324.

1936:The Beavers win their seventh Pacific
Coast League title.

1937:
Jim Small is born in Portland on March 8th. He
debuted on June 22, 1955. Small played 4 seasons (1955-58) with Detroit and the
Kansas City As.

1938:Jim Dickson is born on April
20th in Portland. He debuted on July 2, 1963. Dickson pitched in the Majors for
4 seasons (1963-66) with Houston, Cincinnati and the Kansas City Athletics.
Dicksons career record was 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA.

1939: Dick Smith is born in Lebanon
on May 17th. He debuted on July 20, 1963. Smith played in the Majors for three
seasons (1963-65) with two teams the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He
hit .218 during his career.

1940: Mickey Lolich is born in
Portland on September 12th. He debuted on May 12, 1963. Lolich was a three-time
All-Star, each time with the Detroit Tigers. The brilliant lefty went 19-11
with a 3.14 ERA in 1969, 25-14 with a 2.92 ERA and an American League-leading
308 Ks in 1971, and 22-14 with a 2.50 ERA in 1972. He pitched in 16 Major
League seasons with three teams, mostly with Detroit before finishing his
career with the Yankees and Padres. The peak of his career was 1968 when he led
the Detroit Tigers to a World Series championship over Bob Gibsons St.
Louis Cardinals. Lolich won 217 games in his career, striking out 2832 batters.
His career ERA was 3.44.

Rod Miller is born in Portland
on January 16th. He debuted on September 28, 1957. Miller had one career at-bat
for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957 (their last season in New York), failing to
reach base safely.

1942:
Theodore Norbert leads the PCL in home runs with 20, batting .378 in the
process.

Lyle Bigbee dies in Portland on August 5 at
the age of 48 (see 1893).

Jim Rooker is born
on September 23 in Lakeview. He debuted on June 30, 1968. The lefty pitched for
thirteen seasons (1968-80) with Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Rooker
retired with a 3.46 ERA and a 103-109 record. He was a member of the 1979 World
Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one run in eight-and-two-thirds
innings.

1943: Theodore
Norbert hits 28 home runs to again win the PCL home run
crown.

1944: Jim
Hibbs is born in Klamath Falls on September 10th. He debuted on April
12, 1967. Hibbs went 0-3 with two strikeouts in his only Major League at-bats
for the 1967 California Angels.

Hub Pernoll passes away in
Grants Pass on February 18th at the age of 55.

1945: Marvin Owen manages Portland to its
eighth PCL title. It is Portlands last PCL crown for 38 years. The
leagues All-Star Game is held in Portland and the North wins 13-3 over
the Southern All-Stars in front of 4,550 spectators.

1946: Harvey Storey splits his season between
the Los Angeles Angels and the Portland Beavers, hitting .326 to win the
batting crown. He is the last Beavers player to win a league batting
title.

Johnny Pesky of Portland becomes the first
Oregonian to make the All-Star team, representing the host Red Sox in
the midsummer classic. He goes hitless in the 12-0 American League win at
Fenway Park. Later that season the Red Sox great became the first Oregonian to
get a hit in a World Series game.

Ron Lolich is born in
Portland on September 19th. He debuted on July 18, 1971. Lolich played for
three Major League seasons as an outfielder with 1971 White Sox and 1972-73
Cleveland Indians. He hit .211 for his career with four home runs in 228
At-Bats.

1947: Thomas Bridges
no-hits the San Francisco Seals in a 2-0 Portland win. Bridges came to
Portland after a 17-season (1930-1946) Major League career with the Detroit
Tigers. Bridges won 20+ Games 3 seasons in a row (1934-36) and was a six-time
All-Star. He led the American League in wins with 23 in 1936. He pitched in
four different Fall Classics for Detroit (the Tigers won two of them), going
4-1 with a 3.52 ERA in World Series play. His career record was 194-138 with a
3.57 ERA.

Darcy Fast is born in Dallas on March 10th.
He debuted on June 15, 1968. Fast pitched 10 innings over eight games for the
1968 Cubs.

Terry Ley is born in Portland on February
21st. He debuted on August 20, 1971. Lee pitched in six games for 1971 Yankees
and did not earn a decision during his brief stint in the
Majors.

1948: Bob
Beall is born on April 24th in Portland. He debuted on May 12, 1975.
Beall played for the Atlanta Braves for parts of four seasons (1975, 1978-79)
and the Pirates for a handful of games in 1980.

Dave Kingman
is born in Pendleton on December 21st. Dave debuted on July 30, 1971.
One of the most prodigious sluggers of the 1970s and early 1980s, Kingman
belted 442 home runs and whiffed 1816 times during his career. Kingman had a
tendency to wear out his welcome, so its no surprise that he played for
eight teamsboth New York teams, every California team except the Dodgers,
and the Chicago Cubsduring his 16-season career. Kingman made three
All-Star teams (1976 with the Mets, 36 home runs; 1979 with Chicago, 48 home
runs and 115 RBI; and 1980, again with the Cubs). Kong has the
distinction of being the man with the most home runs that is Hall of Fame
eligible not in the Hall of Fame. Jose Canseco, who smacked 20 more home runs
than Kingman, will take over that dubious distinction in
2006.

Wayne Twitchell is born in Portland on March
10th. He debuted on September 7, 1970. Wayne pitched for ten seasons in the
Majors (1970-79) for Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Montreal, the New York Mets and
Montreal. Twitchell made the 1973 All-Star team with Philadelphia going 13-9
with a 2.50 ERA. Twitchell ended his career 17 games under .500 despite a 3.98
ERA.

1951:Dave Roberts is born on February
17 in Lebanon. He debuted on June 7, 1972. Roberts played for San Diego, Texas,
Houston and Philadelphia between 1972 and 1982. Roberts hit 21 home runs during
the 1972 season with San Diego. Roberts retired with 49 home runs and a .239
average.

1952: Charles Red
Adams wins the PCL ERA title at 2.17.Adams pitched in eight games for
the 1946 Chicago Cubs.

Terry Cornutt is born on October
2nd in Roseburg. He debuted on April 9, 1977. Cornutt pitched for the 1977 and
1978 San Francisco Giants, going 1-2 with a 3.61 career ERA.

1953:
Royce Lint leads the PCL in winning percentage by going
22-10 (.688). Lint pitched in 30 games for the 1954 St. Louis
Cardinals, going 3-3 with one shutout. In his only major league season his ERA
was 4.86.

Howie Haworth passes away in Troutdale on January 28th
at the age of 59 (see 1893).

Larry Andersen
is born May 6, 1953 in Portland. A fifteen-year minor-league pitcher,
Andersen began his Major League career in 1975 with Cleveland, where he
shuttled back and forth to Triple-A through 1979. He was picked up by the
Mariners in 1981 and led the team in ERA that season with a 2.66 average. In
the end, he pitched two more seasons in the Majors than the minors, hurling for
seventeen seasons with Cleveland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston, Boston and
San Diego. He was a key bullpen pitcher in 86 when the Astros won the
National League West. Andersen pitched for both of the Phillies most recent
National League pennant-winning teams in 1983 and 1993. Both teams lost in the
World Series: the 83 Phillies fell to Baltimore and the 93 squad
lost on Joe Carters memorable Game 6 home run off Mitch Williams. In
1990, the Red Sox made one of the most infamous trades of the last fifty years,
acquiring Andersen from Houston for Jeff Bagwell, then a prospect in the Boston
farm system. Andersen and the Red Sox lost in the American League Championship
Series to Oakland, and the pitcher departed in free agency for San Diego after
the season. Bagwell, meanwhile, is a future Hall of Fame first baseman who won
the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1994.

1954:Robert Alexander throws a seven-inning
no-hitter against Oakland in a 3-0 Portland Beavers victory.
Alexander pitched for the 1955 Baltimore Orioles and the 1957 Cleveland
Indians. His brief career record was 1-1 with a 10.64 ERA.

Rob
Dressler is born on February 2 in Portland. He debuted on September 7,
1975. Dressler played from 1975-80 with three teams San Francisco, St. Louis
and Seattle. In 1980 Dressler struck out a career high 50 while going 4-10 with
a 3.97 ERA. He completed his career with a 11-23 record and a 4.17 ERA.

John Harris is born in Portland on September 13th. He
debuted on September 26, 1979. Harris played from 1979-81 for the California
Angels, hitting .258 with five career homers.

1956:The Portland Beavers become permanent
tenants of Civic Stadium in Portland. The 2nd PCL All-Star Game is played in
Portland in front of 10,437 with the South winning 10-5.

Civic/ Multnomah Stadium/ PGE Park: Located on 1844 SW
Morrison St., (between on SW 18th and SW 20th Avenues on Salmon Street, PGE
Park opened as Civic Stadium in October 1926 and was used exclusively for
football until the 1956 season when the Beavers moved into the
facility.

Baseball was first played in 1893 when the area known was
known as Tanner Creek Gulch (a tannery was on the site previously). The first
group to play there was the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club so, naturally, the
park was named Multnomah Field. In 1894 the site hosted a team of barnstorming
Major Leaguers who beat the Multnomah team by a score of 22-4.

The park
first sat 3,000 spectators but in the early 20th century a steel grandstand was
built, increasing the capacity to more than 10,000. The Giants (Beavers) played
their first games here in 1905 during the Lewis and Clark Exposition while
Vaughn Street Stadium was used as a track venue. The Grandstand melted
during a fire that leveled seven blocks of Portland in 1910. The park was
rebuilt the following year but didnt fit the needs of Portlands
growing population.

In 1926, a new stadium was built on the same site
that seated 28,000. The first event was a football game between the University
of Washington SunDodgers (later Huskies) and the University of Oregon
Webfooters (later Ducks. The University of Washington won the game 23-9 in
front of over 24,000 spectators.

During the 1930s the Oregon Kennel Club
approved dog racing at the facility. At the time had no major tenant.
Occasional college football games were played at the park until 1956 when the
Beavers arrived, and the facility was renamed Civic Stadium.

The
Beavers transplanted the grass from Vaughn St. Stadium to Civic Stadium, but
that final link to the old park quickly vanished in 1969 when the stadium
became the first outdoor facility to install Astroturf. The park was remodeled
once in the 1970s with a new roof being added and football pressboxes being
moved from the top of the roof to right below it.

In 1995 the facility
became the largest park in Class A, and AA baseball when the Rockies moved from
Bend. Five years later the Albuquerque Dukes announced they would move to
Portland for the 2001 season. The park underwent a major renovation including
Nexturf as the new playing surface, luxury boxes, and the installation of club
seating. Naming rights were sold to Portland General Electric and Civic Stadium
was renamed PGE Park. The park now holds 20,000 with room for expansion as a
temporary home for a relocated Major League team. The stadiums dimensions
are 317 to leftfield with a 25-foot wall, 405 to center with an 8- foot wall,
and 320 to rightfield, also with an 8-foot wall.

Steve
Baker is born August 30 in Eugene. He debuted on May 25, 1978. The
unwieldy but explosive fastball pitcher started in Detroit in 1978 and then
split time with Oakland and St. Louis through 83.

Jeff
Lahti is born in Oregon City on October 8th. He debuted on June 27,
1982. Lahti played in the Majors from 1982-86, spending his entire career with
the St. Louis Cardinals. Used as a reliever, Lahti won a World Series ring his
rookie season and pitched for a pennant-winning Cardinals team in 1985. His
career record was 17-10 with 20 saves (19 of them coming in 1985) and a 3.12
ERA.

Dale Murphy is born in Portland on March 12th.
Dale debuted on September 13, 1976. Murphy was a seven time All-Star (1980,
1982-87) and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player (1982, 1983). A
career National Leaguer, Murphy led the senior circuit in home runs twice
(1984: 36, 1985: 37) and he drove in more than 100 runs on five occasions,
leading the league in that category during his two MVP seasons (1982: 109,
1983: 121, 1984: 100, 1985: 111, and 1987: 105). He hit 398 home runs in his
career and drove in 1,266 runs, racking up 2,111 hits. Murphy is considered by
many to be one of the top-5 MLB players of the 1980s decade (also see 1982,
1983, 1984).

Cliff Speck is born in Portland on August
8th. He debuted on July 30, 1986. Speck pitched for the 1986 Braves going 2-1
in 13 games with a 4.13 ERA.

1957:Greg Brock is born in
McMinnville on June 14th. He debuted on September 1, 1982. Brock played for the
Los Angeles Dodgers from 1982-86 where he hit a career high 21 HRs for the 1985
National League West Champions. He moved on to Milwaukee and played with the
Brewers from 1987-1991. In his first season with the Brewers he drove in a
career-high 85 runs.

Tom Gorman is born on December
16th in Portland. He debuted on September 2, 1981. Gorman pitched for seven
seasons (1981-87) with four National League teams: Montreal, New York,
Philadelphia and San Diego. In 1984, Gorman went 6-0 with a 2.97 ERA as a
reliever for a contending Mets team. His career ERA ended up at 4.34 with a
12-10 record.

1958: The
Dodgers and Giants move from New York to the West Coast, effectively
transforming the PCL from baseballs third major league into a AAA
classification league.

Tom Dodd is born in
Portland on August 15th. He debuted on July 25, 1986. Dodd played in eight
games for the 1986 Orioles hitting .231 with one home run.

Mike
Martin is born in Portland on December 3rd. He debuted on August 15,
1986. Martin had only 13 at-bats for the 1986 Cubs, securing one hit in his
brief career.

1959: Danny Ainge is born March 17, 1959 in
Eugene. He debuted on May 21, 1979. Best known as a guard with great NBA
playoff teams of the 80s and early 90s (including the Celtics,
Trail Blazers and Suns), Ainges professional sports career with the
Toronto Blue Jays in 1979 as a utility player.

Wally
Backman is born September in Hillsboro. He debuted on September 2,
1980. Known best as an outstanding number two hitter behind fiery leadoff-man
Lenny Dykstra, Backman started in 1980 with the Mets, and was a key figure in
the memorable 1986 World Series against the Red Sox. In Game 3 he led off the
ninth inning with a bunt single and scored on Dykstra's homer as the Mets won
6-5. In Game 5, he led off the 12th with an infield hit, advanced to second on
a wild pickoff throw, later scoring the winning run on Gary Carter's single..
Backman split time with the Mets, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and ended his
career in Seattle in 1993 after 14 seasons.

Ken Williams passes
away at the age of 68 on January 22nd in his hometown of Grants Pass
(see 1890).

1960: Jay Baller is born October 6 in
Stayton. Jay debuted on September 19, 1982. A middle reliever who started in
the Eastern League, Baller was picked up by the Phillies where he made four
appearances in 1982. He resurfaced with the Cubs in 1985 where he stayed
through 87. He pitched briefly again in 1990 with the Royals and again in
Philadelphia in 1992.

Harold Reynolds is born in Eugene
on November 26. He debuted on September 2, 1983. The speedy second baseman
played for ten seasons for the Mariners (1983-92) and one season each for the
Padres (1993) and the California Angels (1994). He led the AL in steals in 1987
with 60, the first of two consecutive All-Star appearances. He hit .300 in
1989. Reynolds hit .258 for his career and stole 250 bases. He is currently a
commentator on ESPNs Baseball Tonight.

Jim
Wilson is born in Corvallis on December 29th. He debuted on September
13, 1985. The first baseman/designated hitter played in parts of the 1985 and
1989 seasons with Cleveland and Seattle.

1961:The Beavers become a Major League farm
team for the first time joining the St. Louis Cardinals family as their AAA
team.

Phil Ouellette was born on November 10th
in Salem. He debuted on September 10, 1986. Ouellette played in 10 games for
the 1986 Giants going 4-23 for a career .174 Batting
Average.

Tom Edens is born in Ontario on June 9th. He
debuted on June 2, 1987. Edens career record is 19-12 with a 3.86 ERA. He
pitched for 7 seasons (1987, 1990-1995) with 6 teams (Mets, Brewers, Twins,
Astros, Phillies, and Cubs).

Mark Parent is born on
September 16th in Ashland. He debuted on September 20, 1986. Parent played for
13 seasons (1986-98) with seven different teams (Padres, Rangers, Orioles,
Cubs, Pirates, Cubs, Tigers, Orioles, Phillies). During his career he hit .214
with 53 HRs.

1962: Gene
Oliver leads the Pacific Coast League with 36 home runs. The PCL All-Star Game
is hosted in Portland for the third and most recent time. The
All-Stars beat the Los Angeles Angels (not to be confused with the American
League team) 6-5. The Beavers become the Kansas City Athletics AAA team, a
partnership that lasts 2 seasons.

Oliver played for ten major league
seasons starting in 1959 with St. Louis, the Braves (both in Milwaukee and
Atlanta), Philadelphia, Boston Red Sox and the infamous 1969 Chicago Cubs. His
best season came in 1965 with the Milwaukee Braves when he hit 21 home
runs.

Scott Anderson is born on August 1 in Corvallis.
He debuted on April 8, 1987. Anderson bounced around the majors and minors
between 1987 and 1995, pitching for Texas, Montreal and Kansas City in his
career.

1963:Lance
Blankenship is born in Portland on December 6th. He debuted on
September 4, 1988. Lance played for six Major Leagues seasons (1988-1993) all
with the Oakland Athletics. Blankenship was a valuable bench player for the
1989 World Champion As, going 1-2 the sweep of the
Giants.

Don Wakamatsu is born in Hood River on February
22nd. He debuted on May 22, 1991. Wakamatsu had 31 at-bats over 18 games as a
backup catcher for the 1991 Chicago White Sox.

1964: The Beavers become the AAA team of the
Cleveland Indians.

Thomas Kelly throws a no-hitter
against the Spokane Indians in a 5-0 Portland victory. Luis Tiant sets a PCL
record for winning percentage, going 15-1 (.938) during the
season.

Carson Bigbee passes away in Portland on October 17th at
the age of 69 (see 1895).

Ed Coleman passes away at age
62 on August 5th in Oregon City (see 1901).

Mitch
Lyden is born in Portland on December 14. He debuted on June 16, 1993.
Lyden came to the plate ten times during the Florida Marlins inaugural
season of 1993. He had three hits, including one home run, that
year.

Rob Mallicoat is born in St. Helens on November
16th. He debuted on September 11, 1987. Mallicoat pitched for the Houston
Astros during parts of 3 seasons (1987, 1991-92). His career record was
0-2.

1965:Thomas Kelly leads
the Pacific Coast League in winning percentage with a 16-3 (.843) record.

Scott Lewis is born in Grants Pass on
December 5th. He debut on September 25, 1990. Lewis pitched five seasons
(1990-95) for the California Angels, finishing 9-9 with a 5.01
ERA.

Steve Olin is born in Portland on October 4th. He
debuted on July 29, 1989. The sidearm reliever pitched 4 seasons (1989-92) for
the Cleveland Indians. Steve had a career year in 1992 with 29 saves and a 2.34
ERA. Olin was on his way to becoming one of the games most dominant closers
when he was tragically killed in a boat accident during spring training that
also claimed the life of teammate Tim Crews on the night of March 22,
1993.

1966:Tony Barron
is born on Aug. 17, 1966 in Portland. He debuted on June 2, 1996.
Barron played two Major League seasons in 1996 and 1997 as a reserve
outfielder. He had just one plate appearance with the 96 Expos before
going to the Philadelpha the next season, where played in 57 games, all in
right field. He was a career .284 hitter for 58 games.

Scott
Brosius is born August 15 in Hillsboro. He debuted on August 7, 1991.
Brosius had never even seen a Major League game when the Oakland A's drafted
him in the 20th round in 1987. His single-A team in the Oakland organization
was invited to Milwaukee County Stadium to play the Brewers' Single-A
affiliate.

Scott was called up to the As on his fathers
birthday in 1991, slated to play third base. When then-starter Carney Lansford
came off the injured list, Brosius was moved into the outfield for most of the
1993 season (70 games) while Craig Paquette and Kevin Seitzer split time at the
hot corner after Lansfords retirement. This tandem didnt seem to be
the answer for Oakland, so Brosius returned to the infield in
1994.

Working with hitting coach (and former manager) Jim Lefebvre,
Brosius improved his hitting by flattening his swing. Scotts outstanding
defense that stood out on the diamond (Lansford, who had joined the Oakland
coaching staff, dubbed him "Flypaper.") "I'd rather save a run than produce a
run," Brosius later remarked.

In 1996 Scott hit his stride both at third
and at the plate. He started the season with just one error in his first 104
chances, but was forced to miss seven weeks of the season after a Mark Gubicza
fastball fractured his right arm in early May. At the time, Brosius was hitting
.351 with eight homers and 21 RBIs. He finished his exceptional season with 22
homers and 71 RBIs to go along with a fantastic .304 batting average, second on
the team to Mark McGwire's .312 mark. He also led the American League with a
.365 batting average with runners in scoring position. But Brosius' solid
totals masked a late-season slump that saw him make eight errors in his last 57
games and hit just .213 in September.

The following year, Brosius
problems continued. In mid-April, Oakland hitting coach Denny Walling
discovered a mechanical flaw in Scotts stance, yet Brosius had already
lost the confidence that characterized his earlier success. Despite Walling's
correction, Brosius finished the month with a .181 batting average and followed
it up with an embarrassing .147 mark in May. Deep into June, with Brosius'
average mired at .195, Frank Blackman of the San Francisco Examiner noted that
Brosius had "become an expert at the helmet bounce and the bat fling." Some
critics charged that Brosius' new $2.55 million contract was to blame; Brosius
responded with the admission, "When I get my paychecks, I feel bad."

Obviously, so did the A's management. "There are a lot of adjectives I could
use to describe Scott's season, and 'bizarre' would be one of the more benign,"
said Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson in June. "At some point it's not
funny anymore." With prospects Mark Bellhorn and Eric Chavez waiting in the
wings, Brosius' days in the Bay Area were numbered. A recurring knee injury
that sidelined him late in the season sealed his fate with the team. By the end
of the season, Brosius' average had fallen 101 points from the year before, to
.203. Only three other players in history had had worse dropoffsNorm Cash
(1961-62), Max Carey (1925-1926), and Doc Farrell (1927-28). After the season,
Brosius was sent to New York as the player-to-be-named-later in a deal that
brought starter Kenny Rogers to Oakland.

The Yankees, who were content
to reduce their payroll (they had included Rogers' 1998 salary in the deal)
expected Brosius to platoon with either Dale Sveum or Mike Lowell at third,
having traded Charlie Hayes to San Francisco Giants before the start of the
season. In a remarkable comeback, Brosius hit .300 with 19 homers and a
personal-best 98 RBI as the Yankees surged to 114 wins: the most in American
League history. In the process, Brosius was named to his first All-Star Game
ever. His father, six weeks removed from colon cancer surgery, and his
grandfather both attended the game at Coors Field.

In the World Series,
Brosius' star shined even brighter. He hit .471 with two homers and six RBIs in
the Yanks' four-game sweep of San Diego; his two consecutive homers in Game 3
helped the Yankees overcome a three-run, seventh-inning deficit and win the
game. The second, off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (who had converted 53 of 54
save chances during the regular season) put New York out in front by two runs.
In Game Four, with his club clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, Brosius
poked a bases-loaded single over a drawn-in infield to score Derek Jeter from
third. After fielding the series' final out, a champagne-soaked Brosius was
named World Series MVP. Ever humble, with his teammates chanting his name in
the background, Brosius refused to take credit for the win, instead thanking
his teammates for the opportunity to play on baseball's biggest
stage.

Brosius' 1999 season was bittersweet. Throughout the season, he
took time off from the team to be with his ailing father and his production at
the plate dropped. Despite the distraction he was sparkling on defense, winning
his first Gold Glove. Though his father died in September, he helped lead the
Yankees to a second World Series Championship. He played two more seasons for
New York, winning yet another World Series ring in 2000 and retiring after the
2001 season. Scott Brosius was the Oregon Baseball Campaign interview for Nov.
2002.

Eric Gunderson is born on March 29th in Portland.
He debuted on April 11, 1990. Gunderson pitched for ten Major League seasons
with San Francisco, Seattle, the New York Mets, Boston, Texas and Toronto.
Gunderson finished his career with an 8-11 record with a 4.95
ERA.

John Jaha is born in Portland on May 27th. He
debuted on July 9, 1992. Jaha played for ten Major League seasons with
Milwaukee and Oakland as a first baseman and designated hitter. He hit 34 home
runs for the Brewers in 1996 and made the American League All-Star team with
the Athletics for his 35-homer, 111-RBI performance in 1999. Injury-prone
during his career, Jaha wrapped up his career with 141 home
runs.

1967:On the Fourth of
July, Ralph Custer of the Beavers throws a seven-inning no-hitter, defeating
the Denver Zephyrs, 1-0.

Tom McGraw is born in
Portland on December 8th. He debuted on May 7, 1997. McGraw made two scoreless
relief appearances for the 1997 Cardinals.

Mark Small
is born on November 12th in Portland. He debuted on April 5, 1996. Small
pitched sixteen games for Houston in 1996.

1968:Mickey Lolich becomes the first Oregonian
to homer in World Series play a with a Game 2 home run (ironically the
only homer of Lolichs career). Lolich went 3-0 in the series with a 1.67
ERA with 21 strikeouts in 27 innings, earning him the World Series MVPthe
first Oregonian to win the award.

Kent Bottenfield is
born on November 14th in Portland. Kent debuted on July 6, 1992. Bottenfield
pitched for nine Major League seasons (1992-2001) with Montreal, Colorado, San
Francisco, the Cubs, Colorado, St. Louis, Anaheim, Philadelphia and Houston. He
surprising 1999 season landed him a spot on the National League All-Star team;
he finished 18-7 with a 3.97 ERA for the Cardinals that season. His career
record was 46-49 with a 4.54 ERA.

1969:Russ Nagelson leads the
PCL with 24 HRs. Major League Baseball enters the Pacific Northwest for the
first time with the ill-fated Seattle Pilots, who moved to Milwaukee in
1970.

Nagelson played for three major league seasons (1968-70),
dividing his 56 games between Ohios Major League teams, hitting .211 for
his career.

Scott Hatteberg is born in Salem on
December 14th. He debuted on September 8, 1995. Hatteberg played for the Red
Sox from 1995-2001 and has been with Oakland since 2002. As a first baseman,
catcher and designated hitter, Hatteberg is a career .271 hitter with 49 HRs.
In 2002 he hit a career high 15 homers, batting .280 for the division champion
As.

1970: The Beavers become the first AAA team in
the history of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jeff
Barry is born on September 22nd in Medford. Jeff debuted on June 9,
1995. Barry played fifteen games for the 1995 Mets and the 1998 Rockies.
Barrys best season came in 1999 when he hit all five of his big-league
homers, playing in 74 games with Colorado.

Dan Carlson
is born on January 26th in Portland. He debuted on September 15, 1996. Dan
played 4 Major League seasons (1996-99) with three teams (Giants, Devil Rays,
and Diamondbacks). He holds the distinction of being the first man to play for
both of the 1998 Expansion teams (AZ and TB).

Ed Mensor passes
away in Salem on April 20th at the age of 83 (see
1886).

The Minnesota Twins become the Beavers new
parent club. Future Major Leaguer Eric Soderholm hits a PCL record 4 Grand
Slams in a season.

At one of the greatest All-Star
Games in history, Portland native Mickey Lolich gets credit for a save, nailing
down a 5-4 AL win at Tiger Stadium becoming the first Oregonian pitcher to do
so in the Mid-Summer Classic

Jamie Burke is
born in Roseburg on September 24th. Burke has one Major League in five at-bats,
all with the Anaheim Angels in 2001.

Brian L. Hunter is
born in Portland on March 5th. Brian debuted on June 27, 1994. A journeyman
outfielder, Hunter has played in the Majors since 1994 and has played with
Houston, Seattle, Colorado, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. A menace on
the basepaths, he led the American League in steals in 1997 and 1999. Through
2002 he had stolen 260 career steals to complement a .264 career batting
average.

1972: The Beavers
become the AAA team of the Cleveland Indians.

Alan
Embree is born in The Dalles on January 23rd. He debuted on September
15, 1992. Embree was one of the premier left handed specialists of the late
1990s, pitching in postseason play with four different teams the 1995 and 1996
Indians, 1997 Braves and 2000 Giants). Embree has pitched in the majors since
1992, going 22-25 with a 4.43 ERA, also pitching for Arizona, Boston, San Diego
and the Chicago White Sox.

Travis Smith is born in
Springfield on November 7th. Smith has pitched during two Major League
seasons1998 with the Brewers, 2002 with St. Louis)with a 6.91 ERA
in thirteen games.

Suds Sutherland passes away at the age of 78
on May 11th in Portland (see 1894).

1973: The Beavers transfer to
Spokane.

Brady Clark is born in Portland on
April 18th. Clark made his debut in 2000 with Cincinnati and was traded to the
New York Mets in 2002.

Mike Thurman is born in
Corvallis on July 22nd. He debuted on September 2, 1997. Thurman made his debut
in 1997 and has pitched for the Expos and Yankees. Thurman has started 87 games
and holds a 26-36 record with a 5.05 ERA.

1974:Richie Sexson is born in
Portland on December 29th. He debuted on September 14, 1997. Sexson is becoming
an elite player in the game today, making the All-Star team in 2002 on the
heels of a 45-home run season in with the 2001 Brewers. Richie started his
career in with Cleveland in 1997 before a mid-season trade sent him to
Milwaukee in 2000. Sexson hit 146 home runs in the first six seasons of his
career, compiling a .273 batting average.

1977: Ben Petrick is born in Salem on
April 7th. Petrick has played in the Majors since 1999, batting .265 with 23
dingers and 82 RBI. Petrick is considered one of the best young defensive
catchers in the game today.

Aaron Rowand is born in
Portland on August 29th. Rowand made his debut with the Chicago White Sox in
2001 and hit .268 with eleven home runs in the first two seasons of his young
career as a reserve outfielder.

1978: Portland rejoins the PCL as an expansion
team and the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

1979:The Pittsburgh Pirates become the parent
club of the Beavers.

Rudy Kallio passes away in
Newport at the age of 86 on April 6th (see 1892).

Steve Bechler is born on November 18th in Medford. He debuted
on September 6, 2002. Steve made his Major League debut in 2002 with Baltimore
pitching in three games as a reliever. Sadly, he died a heat-related death
during spring training with the Orioles on February 17, 2003.

1980: Rick Rhoden throws a seven-inning
no-hitter against the Phoenix Firebirds in a 1-0 Portland
victory.

Rhoden pitched for sixteen seasons in the Majors
(1974-89) with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, the Yankees and Houston. Rick made two
All-Star teams1976 and 1986and won a World Series ring with the
1979 We are Family Pirates. Rhoden concluded his career with a
solid 3.59 ERA and a 151-125 record. Always a good golfer, Rhoden went on to
the PGA tour where he competed in Celebrity Golf tournaments across the
country, becoming the all-time leading money winner in Celebrity Golf. His best
single-round score is a 63 and he has six holes-in-one to his
credit.

Son of Negro League and Cuban Baseball great Luis Tiant
Sr., Luis Tiant pitched in nineteen Major League seasons (1964-82) with
Cleveland, Minnesota, the Yankees, Pittsburgh, California, and most notably,
the Boston Red Sox. Thirteen times Luis he won ten games or more. With the Red
Sox he pitched in the epic 1975 World Series, winning two (Games 1 and 4) of
his three starts. He earned a no-decision in the historic sixth game, won in
the bottom of the twelfth inning on Carltons Fisk home run over the Green
Monster. A three-time All-Star (1968, 1974 and 1976), he was known throughout
his career as an ultimate clutch pitcher. He retired with a 229-172 record and
a 3.30 ERA. Tiant attempted to resuscitate his in 1989 with the ill-fated
Senior Baseball League.

1982: Marvin Owen led the Beavers to their
ninth and most recent Pacific Coast League championship.

Portland native and Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale
Murphy becomes the first Oregon-born player to win the Most Valuable Player
award, leading the Atlanta Braves to the National League West title.
Murphy hit .281 with 23 home runs and 109 RBI.

1983: The Philadelphia Phillies become the
Beavers parent club.

Dale Murphy becomes the first
Oregonian to get a hit and score a run in an All-Star Game during the
13-3 American League rout of the Nationals at the 50th anniversary All-Star
Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Murphy went on to win the National League MVP
for the second consecutive year with a .302 average, 36 home runs and 121
RBI.

1984: At San
Franciscos Candlestick Park Dale Murphy becomes the first Oregonian to
hit a home run in an All-Star Game with an 8th inning blast off of
Detroit reliever and American League MVP Willie Hernandez in a 3-1 National
League victory.

1985: Syl
Johnson passes away in Portland on February 20th at the age of 84 (see
1900).

Wes Schulmerich passes away at the age of 83 in
Corvallis on June 26th (see 1901).

1986: Paul Gehrman passes away in Bend at the
age of 74 on October 23rd (see 1912).

1990: Bernardo Brito wins the PCL HR title
with 25 bombs. Michael Cook leads the league with a 3.20
ERA.

Brito played for three Major League seasons (1992-93,
1995) all with the Twins, only playing in 40 games. In his big-league career
Brito never equaled the power he showed in the Rose City, hitting just .219
with 5 HRs and 12 RBIs during his career.

1991: Bernardo Brito wins his second
consecutive PCL home run with 27 long balls, tying for the league lead with
Luis Medina of Colorado Springs.

Bill Bevens dies in
Salem on October 26th at the age of 75. (see 1916)

1993:Pat Mahomes leads the PCL with a 3.20
ERA. Portland makes its most recent PCL Championship Series appearance losing
to the Tucson Toros in six games.

Pat Mahomes: Pat has played
in the Major Leagues for since 1992 with the Twins, Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, and
most recently, the Cubs. A starter earlier in his career, Mahomes has turned
into an all-purpose pitcher as his career progressed. His career record of
42-38 and 5.49 ERA are misleading as he has turned himself into a valuable
left-handed reliever.

1994The
Beavers move to Salt Lake City.

1995:The Bend Rockies of the Single A
Northwest League move to Portland.

1996: Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and a group of civic boosters
begin a campaign to bring Major League Baseball to Portland.

Lynn
Lashbrook: Becoming a sports agent and consultant in 1993, Dr. Lashbrook
enjoyed a successful twenty years in college athletics as an athletic director,
advisor and coach. During his tenure at the University of Missouri as Assistant
Athletics Director, the football team led the Big 8 Conference in graduation
rate. Lashbrook also served as President of the National Association of
Academic Advisors for Athletics in 1986. He concluded his career in college
athletics as Director of Athletics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from
1988 to 1993. Dr. Lashbrook is an Assistant Professor at Eastern Oregon
University and an adjunct professor at Oregon State University. He has earned a
reputation as a leader in addressing issues that face the world of athletics.
He lectures on sports agents and sports business nationally and
internationally. Lashbrook began the Oregon Baseball Campaign in 1996 as a
grassroots campaign to bring MLB to Oregon. Bill Sayles passes away in
Lincoln City at the age of 79 on November 20th (see 1917).

1998:Hillsboro native Scott Brosius hits a pair of
home runs including a eighth inning game winner off relief ace Trevor Hoffman
in route to a World Series MVP award and a Yankees sweep of San
Diego.